A Night in Terminal C
by ifonly13
Summary: Snowed in at La Guardia on Christmas Eve, Castle is determined to make the time as memorable as possible for Kate.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I'm just a Terri looking for her Andrew.**  
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><p>They had been watching the snow fall outside the large windows for two hours now. Not small flakes where one could see every crystal forming the flake, but fat, wet balls of snow that piled up quickly. Any other day, Kate would have loved to see such a sight. It meant fewer murders as people sought shelter, too cold to be reckless and spontaneous.<p>

But she wasn't on-call. Even if she had been, there was no way she was getting to the precinct or the crime scene. Not when she was sitting in an airport terminal, most certainly snowed in.

"Well this sucks…" she muttered, sitting back against the wall and stretching her legs out in front of her.

"Tell me about it. We're totally missing the Christmas Eve party."

Kate let her head shift to the side enough to glare at the man next to her. "Seriously, Castle? That's what you're worried about?"

He shrugged his shoulders in defense. "It was supposed to be good! Spiked egg nog, Secret Santa gifts, hidden mistletoe, far too many Santa hats, drunken carols."

"Sounds like a real party," she replied, pulling out her phone to check the weather even though the TVs located in the terminal were only showing the trajectory of the storm. It still hovered directly over the city and spread off the map with the remaining precipitation.

"It was going to be. Has to be when I throw it."

Next to them, a family of four was trying to calm down the two hyper children running in circles and falling down over one another. The father was on the phone, his fingers rubbing circles over the back of his wife's hand.

Castle wanted so badly to be that man, comforting Kate as their kids started to go stircrazy from the time in the airport. He let his eyes cut back to her and saw that she was watching the family, the ghost of a smile playing across her lips. Maybe someday. Minus the stuck-in-the-airport part.

"Any idea how long we're going to be stuck here?" he asked.

His voice jerked her out of her own daydream, eerily similar to his own though she would never admit to such a thing, and she turned back to face him. She had to blink a few times, try to replay his words so that they made sense to her brain. "No idea. However long it takes to clear a path to the city."

"And with the cuts to the city budget, that might take until New Year's…" he sighed. "I was really looking forward to the egg nog."

"Is that all?" she asked teasingly, that ghosted smile making itself more of a presence on her face.

Since she had taken the first step toward flirty, Castle figured it was safe to continue. "And the mistletoe. I made sure to hang a lot of it in secluded locations, perfect for a little rendezvous, if you know what I mean."

"Castle," she warned, her eyes closed as she rested her head against the wall. He didn't need to know how much she now wanted to find each and every sprig of that mistletoe in his loft and be required to follow tradition with him there next to her.

They sat in silence, listening to the screams of the kids next to them mingling with the standard announcements from the PA system telling everyone stuck in the terminal that they'd be there for an indefinite amount of time due to the Nor'easter sitting on top of them. Many families had given up their seats in the airport lounge to the elderly, taking places along the walls and windows of the terminal. Most of them had been waiting for flights leaving the city, headed off around the country and the globe to spend the holidays with family and friends.

Kate and Castle were in a different wagon. They had flown in from Boston, just beating the storm as they disembarked the plane. But then the snow had started and quickly piled up so high and heavy that the roads were declared dangerous and the two of them found that no taxis were willing to risk the drive back to Manhattan. So they had trekked back up to their gate and found a place to wait out the storm.

"Folks of Terminal C!" came the overly cheerful voice of a man on the speaker. "My name's Harry and I thought I'd pass on the latest news from the National Weather Service in regards to the light flurries we're seeing outside." The joke fell flat on exhausted and frustrated ears, only Harry's faint chuckling coming through the crackling of the speaker. "Word is that we'll be getting a white Christmas with the way the storm is shaping up. You'll want to let loved ones know that you might not be home for Christmas this year unless there's a minor miracle and the storm moves on quicker than it seems to be. So get those phones and laptops out, send your texts and e-mails before the batteries run out, and find a comfy spot. And happy Christmas Eve, everyone!"

After his sign-off, the PA static disappeared. Indeed, everyone around them was pulling out phones.

Kate sat with her own phone on her thigh. Who would she have to tell? Her dad? They normally grabbed dinner the day after Christmas at Primola, catch up over lasagna and cannolis. He wouldn't be missing her one Christmas Eve. The boys would be at the party and Castle was definitely going to be texting Alexis to let her know where he would be stuck for the night. The teenager was smart enough to inform the rest of the partygoers that were probably gathered in the loft at the moment, waiting for their two MIA co-workers to arrive.

Before she could finish puzzling out the intricacies of who to tell, her phone vibrated across her thigh. She caught it before it could hit the carpeted floor, flipping it over to see who had texted. Lanie.

_You and Writer Boy coming?_

Kate glanced over to her side where Castle was furiously typing away on his phone, his concentration focused on the touchscreen in a way she had only seen when it came to his family, writing, or the latest level of Fruit Ninja. She responded slower, thinking out the response as she wrote it into the message.

_Stuck in LaGuardia._

She watched as the message sent, setting the phone back on her leg as he did the same thing.

"Alexis said she'd let everyone know about our… predicament," he said, rubbing his hand over his head, messing up his hair more than it already was. "Said that everyone was just standing around, waiting for us to get there."

"Figures they wouldn't know how to start a party without you, the party animal of the century." He looked over at her, one eyebrow raised in a silent question. "I mean, you're sort of known for your soirees. Without their leader, the sheep don't know what to do."

She was saved from trying to talk herself out of the situation when Lanie texted back, asking her if they were cuddling for warmth. Kate found herself smiling at the mental image, angling the phone away from Castle so he wouldn't see her response.

_Maybe if the situation gets desperate. Enjoy the party._

"So we've got approximately eight hours to sit in an airport and wait for either the snow to stop or the city to get people out here to plow, right?"

Kate nodded. "Sounds about right."

"Not much to do in an airport. And I've been in enough of them to know that one can only buy so many neck pillows before it becomes ridiculous."

"Honestly, Castle, I was thinking of taking a nap. And one of those silly neck pillows might not go amiss in the situation."

He was on his feet before Kate could open her eyes. "I'll get you one then!"

She managed to snag his wrist before he turned, nearly stepping on the hand of the kid next to them. "No, Castle!" She smiled even as he tried to pull away. "It was a joke. Sit back down." When he made no move to return to the piece of wall they had claimed, she put some steel into her gaze. "Please."

He did, sliding down the wall like some nine year old, his sneakers bumping her boots as he stretched his legs out. "But seriously, Kate. If there's anything you need, just say the word and-"

"The most I'll be begging for by the end of the night is a cup of coffee or a gun to put myself out of the misery of being stuck in an airport on Christmas Eve."

Castle looked over as she curled her legs up to her chest, leaned her cheek on her knees, and closed her eyes. Her hair, escaping from the braid she had put it in for the flight, was falling against her cheeks. The trip to Boston to interview a witness stuck in the hospital had been necessary, getting that signed affidavit for the hearing that would take place after the holidays before the witness passed away in order to seal the case up. The timing certainly sucked; Kate Beckett needed the chance to not worry about work or life in general, a chance to let her hair down and enjoy the company of friends.

Well, he was going to try and make this miserable night in La Guardia's airport terminal as carefree as possible for her. She could sleep for an hour. After that, he had plans for them.

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><p><em>AN: This is the result of another prompt from thejetsetgirl who I am officially declaring my muse. (You hear that, you super smart Ivy League chica! You're the Beckett to my Castle!) Anyway, she wanted them stuck overnight in an airport terminal and that's what I'm giving her. It's going to be three chapters and you'll have to hang in to see what Castle has planned for the night to make up for missing the Christmas Eve party back at the loft._

_Review away! Give me an excuse not to study French verb tenses because you all desperately want to see the next chapter. Please._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: They're not mine.**_

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><p>For the hour that he let Kate sleep next to him, Castle searched things on his phone, pulling up a terminal map and mentally plotting out a path for the first step of his plan. They weren't particularly lucky with the terminal they were stuck in; Terminal C did not hold too many options to distract and entertain the still-napping detective at his side. He wondered if there was a way to get over to Terminal B where there were more shops and restaurants. Probably not, unless they wanted to walk out in the snow that was still piling up outside. No, he'd have to settle for the offerings of their current home.<p>

He had to catch Kate a few times, one-handed without shifting his eyes from the screen of his phone, as she slid against the wall. Running on nothing but coffee and the adrenaline of being close to shutting a case was catching up with her body. First order of business was to wake her up, get her energized again. That meant one of two things: food or coffee.

Food first. Coffee could come later in the night when they both started to crash. Reviews on his Yelp app helped him narrow down the three actual restaurants in Terminal C down to one iffy Irish pub that they had passed at the entrance of their wing of the terminal. Airport food was never top-notch, but it would have to do. He didn't want to leave Kate alone with their things in order to go see if they had a table open, so he shook her shoulder gently.

"Hey, Kate?"

He got to watch her eyes flutter open, her hand reaching up to rub over them as she stifled a yawn. That hand continued up to run over her mussed hair, her nose wrinkling before tugging at the hair elastic at the end of the braid. "Time to get up already?" she asked as she ran her fingers through her wavy hair.

Castle shrugged a little, his fingers itching to brush a stray strand off her cheek. "Time for food." He busied his hands with the phone, pulling up a picture of the restaurant just down the hall. "There's this semi-decent Irish pub place or another bar on the other side of the terminal. Not too many choices here, unless you want to brave the snowstorm and trek over to a different terminal but I figured you'd want to stay warm. And then we can…" He realizes he's rambling and that she's looking at him with her hand still brushing through her hair, frozen as though she was now face-to-face with a lunatic. "Umm… So, it's up to you. But I do have something of a plan for the time here."

Kate parted her hair into three sections, messily re-braiding it and wrapping the elastic around the bottom, tucking the loose strands near her face behind her ears. "I'm sure the restaurant in this terminal will suffice for the night." She pushed her phone into her pocket before getting up, stretching her arms over her head so Castle caught a glimpse of pale skin at her stomach. "We'll see what happens after we eat."

As he used the wall to get to his feet, Kate gave her bag a kick. "Are we bringing the luggage with us?"

"Unless you want to leave it here and hope it's still in this spot when we return," he said, bending down to swing his own carry-on over his shoulder, "the answer is yes." When he tried to settle her weekender bag into the crook of his elbow, Kate snatched it out of his hand.

"I can handle my own bag, Castle." She shifted the bag to her left hand, waving the right in front of her. "Lead the way."

The hallways of the airport were crowded with people waiting out the storm. Some had boarding passes sitting atop their luggage, useless now that all of the airplanes on the runway were grounded. Children, ranging from newborn to toddlers, slept against parents' sides. A few people were trying to get hold of loved ones and fill them in on the situation.

The restaurant, Slip Mahoney's, was just as busy. Apparently, everyone had the same idea as Castle and had started lining up for tables as soon as Harry the Friendly Announcer had told them to buckle in for a long night. Castle told Kate to find an empty place to stand as he went up to give the hostess his name.

When he returned to her side, she was grinning.

"What?"

Kate shrugged, leaning her shoulder against the piece of wall she had managed to find. "Not pulling strings to get in ahead of the line?"

He tweaked her nose. "Wise ass, remember? Not jackass. Those people have been waiting longer than we have. It's only fair." Castle pocketed the buzzer the hostess had handed him. "We're in no rush, are we?"

"Nope. Plus, I'm completely at your disposal here, Castle." She had chosen her words carefully, adding the hint of a teasing smile as she spoke them. When he opened and closed his mouth, Kate laughed, the sound cutting through the bustle of the airport and restaurant. "I mean, you have the grand plan for the evening. It's in your hands."

"Of course."

The writer in him had him spending the time waiting for a table by watching their fellow captives. His brain automatically stashed away mannerisms for future characters. How one of the men standing near them obviously talked with his hands but kept shoving them into the pockets of his jacket, his hands still twitching under the fabric like an animal longing to be free again. A woman was on her phone, but talking to her male companion at the same time, shoving a pointer finger in his face every time she wanted him to shut up in order to hear the person on the phone. Two women, Castle assumed they were friends, were chatting as they sat against the wall, jumping in on one another's sentences with wide smiles. Kids had their faces pressed against the glass of windows, watching the snow that was still falling.

"Any update from the party?"

Her voice jolted him out of his observations. When he looked at her dumbly, she raised a brow. "Updates. From the party."

"Don't you have a phone and the numbers of more than a few people present?" he asked with a grin, sliding his own phone out of his back pocket.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Lanie's not texting back. I'm sure she's bunking up with Esposito somewhere and can't get to her phone."

Castle shuddered at the thought of the medical examiner and detective finding a place in his loft to get a little loving. He sent off a text to his daughter knowing that Alexis wouldn't let her phone leave her hand while he was stuck in the airport.

"Aren't you glad those two finally got their heads in the right place and got back together?"

He shook his head. "Not if they're hiding in my guest room at the moment, no." His phone vibrated in his hand just as the reservation buzzer did. Kate plucked the buzzer from his pocket as he texted Alexis back, walking behind her slowly as they made their way to the hostess's stand.

Once they were sitting down, he placed the phone on the table next to the silverware. "Everyone is accounted for."

"No heavy petting sessions in your guest room?" Kate shot across the table with a smile as she picked up the menu.

"Not at the moment, no." There was a muttered, "Thank goodness," that Kate barely caught through the barrier of plastic-coated menus between them.

A nice waiter, looking more than a little tired, forced a smile for them as he took their drink orders. Iced tea did not live up to the promise of spiked egg nog back at the loft, but Castle figured there would be a chance to slip some alcohol into Kate at the New Year's Eve party.

She set her menu down, leaning her forearms on either side after tipping his menu down. "So, what's the plan for the rest of the night or is it a surprise?"

Castle slipped his finger in place of the sandwich he was planning on ordering, before looking over at her. "Surprise. Think of it as your stand-in Christmas present. At least until we get back to civilization where your real one awaits you."

"Castle, we said no pres-"

He placed a finger over her lips, cutting off the rest of the word. "And when have you known me to listen to something you say, dear detective?"

She scowled. "Point taken."

"Hey! No need to agree so quickly!"

"You said it, Castle."

The waiter came back and she turned her teasing smile up at the young man when he returned to take their orders. They ate quickly, not wanting to keep the table from the other people still waiting for food. Kate managed to sneak her part of the bill into the little slot, ignoring Castle's glare across the table.

"Coffee's on me," he insisted as they passed the next group headed into the restaurant.

They navigated the hallway back toward their old spot next to the gate. The family of four had departed, leaving a larger place for the two of them to sit. Kate tucked her bag against her side, keeping an eye on the surroundings, the cop in her not taking a break even on the eve of the holiday. In fact, she was more on edge, knowing that there would be people trying to take advantage of stressed out travelers stuck in the airport.

"Kate, I don't think the elderly couple will be taking your bag."

She swung her head back around to face him. Castle and his crooked grin that just caused a mirrored smile to creep onto her own face. "We'll see, won't we?" Kate pulled her braid over one shoulder, looking at the ends for split-ends. "So?"

"So?"

Kate raised a brow, tilted her head to the side. "You know. The plan for the night. I'm all yours."

The choice of words had his smile widening. "Well, I was thinking we just chill for a while. I have the newest update of Texas Hold 'Em on my phone if we wanted to play a few games. Then we'll see where things go." He held the phone out, wiggling it from side to side as the app loaded on the screen. "Care to try and take me down, Detective?"

The cocky grin all over his face was enough to solidify her decision. Hooking a leg over her bag as a make-shift footrest, Kate snatched the iPhone from Castle's hand. "You're on."

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><p><em>AN: Reviews would give me something to read on my ride back home (though I'll probably end up sleeping). Review anyway in case I manage to keep my eyes open._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I may be looking at the same grad school as AM, but that does not make me the owner of Castle.**_

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><p>After losing a solid five games of Texas Hold 'Em against the woman, Castle gave up. There was a mumbled protest that she must have been cheating though when asked how that would be possible on a phone, Castle pretended he hadn't heard the question. During the course of the competition, Kate had toed off her boots, wiggling her toes to get the feeling back into them.<p>

"What's next? Playing on the moving sidewalks? Taking the people movers for a joyride?" Kate asked teasingly, watching the TV monitors that showed the storm's trajectory. They were getting to the end of the blizzard and hopefully, the city plows were already out on the streets working to clear the major routes at least.

Castle put his phone into sleep-mode, trying to conserve the battery. "All good ideas. But I was thinking coffee." He pushed up off the wall, giving his bag a kick toward her side. "Watch this. I'll be back."

Kate was digging in her pocket for money until Castle reached down to grab her hand. "No. This is part of your present. And it's just coffee, Kate. Stay here."

"Wasn't planning on leaving…" she muttered, tugging his bag closer to her side.

He jogged off, dodging families and baggage as he went. Kate watched until he rounded the corner, narrowly avoiding one of the golf cart vehicles the airport staff used to tote handicapped people around the terminal.

"He's handsome."

Kate blinked, looking over to her side at a young woman who had also watched Castle run off. She had her head against the wall, her blonde pixie-cut hair sticking up every which way, blue eyes piercing Kate's. She had a bag across her lap, a suitcase resting against the wall next to her.

"I'm sorry?" Kate asked, twisting a little to face the other woman.

The blonde woman nodded back toward the hallway where Castle had disappeared. "Your boyfriend. He's handsome."

"Oh, he's not…" Kate shook her head, smiling down at her lap for a moment. "Yeah, he sort of is."

"Better hold onto him or someone else will definitely be grabbing him up." The woman got up, gathering up her luggage. "Happy holidays."

"You too," Kate responded as the woman headed off.

She still had her brow furrowed when Castle returned, two cups in his hand and a white bag swinging from where it was held against the side of one of the cups. He nudged his bag away from her side so he could slide down the wall, handing her one of the cups.

"You'd be surprised how few people want caffeine at three o'clock in the morning." He took a small sip of his own coffee, careful not to burn his tongue. "Here. They had gingerbread cookies that I just could not pass up."

He placed the white bag between them, unfolding the top, and plucking out one of the frosted gingerbread men. Balancing his coffee cup on his knee, Castle snapped off the cookie's arm, popping the limb into his mouth. When Kate hadn't moved, Castle glanced over to her.

"What's wrong?"

She smiled, just one side of her mouth lifting up the tiniest bit. "Nothing," she said around the lid on the coffee cup.

Castle didn't look convinced as he ate the other arm off his gingerbread man. "Okay."

Kate took her cookie from the bag, breaking off the little cookie man's leg. Her eyes were closed as she chewed on the gingerbread and frosting, the heat of the coffee warming her fingers. "Castle, this has to be the strangest of Christmas Eves I have ever experienced. And that beats the time when a deer made its way into the cabin upstate."

"That's a story that needs to be told."

She shrugged. "Not much to it beyond what it sounds like. We were spending the holidays at a cabin in the Finger Lakes. Dad had left the front door open when he left to grab some more firewood. A doe wandered onto the porch and into the living room." Kate laughed, shaking her head as she continued. "Dad dropped all of that firewood when he got back and saw the deer standing there in the room like it owned the house. Took him a good hour to get the deer out of the cabin and back out into the woods. I think Mom and I nearly died laughing as we watched him chase that poor doe around the living room."

"Sounds… interesting."

Kate let her head fall back against the wall on a tired huff. "It was. But tonight wins the prize." Holding her coffee cup carefully, Kate scooted closer to Castle, her head resting on his shoulder. "But I'm glad I'm stuck with you."

His voice didn't seem to want to work. There, in the corner of the airport lounge that they had claimed as their home for the night, he had her all to himself. She was falling asleep against his side, her stocking feet brushing his shin, and it was Christmas Eve. A miracle.

He took the cup from her hands before it fell across their laps, placing the twin red Starbucks cups off to the side. His arm itched to loop over her shoulders, to pull her closer to him. His mind told him not to get greedy, to enjoy her proximity while it lasted. But just as he decided to let well enough be, Kate slid down against the wall, her body catching on the corner of the walls.

She sighed, shifting so she was curled up, her feet inching up to rest near Castle's thigh. Well that was too good to resist.

Castle gently picked up her feet, pulling them into his lap so he could dig his thumbs into the arches. Her quiet moan was enough for him to keep up the steady motion. Her eyes opened slowly, her head still against the wall as she wiggled her toes.

"Castle, what is with the foot massage?"

"Well, how could I pass up the opportunity when your feet were so close to my hands," he responded, not stopping the mini-massage. "Just part of the Christmas present."

Kate let her eyes close again, shifting her feet further into Castle's lap. "Good. Keep it up."

Five minutes later, Castle was fairly sure that Kate had dozed off again. He hadn't stopped rubbing his fingers over the arch of her feet, his mind wandering from thinking about whether she had her toenails painted to descriptions of the sleeping detective for the next book to wondering whether Alexis had cleared the party out of the loft at this point.

His phone vibrated next to him. The caller ID belonged to the driver that regularly drove him around to book signings in the city.

"What's up, Adam?" he answered as softly as possible, aware of every eye-flicker from Kate.

"The roads cleared up. I'm out front of the terminal if you want to head out."

Kate stirred, pulling her feet back from his lap. "The roads are clear?" she mumbled, rubbing a hand over her face.

He nodded as he spoke into the phone. "We'll be right out." He turned back to Kate who was zipping up her boots again, yawning. "Adam's out front." Castle stood, reaching a hand down to help Kate to her feet before shouldering his bag and hers. She didn't protest this time as they started toward the exit of the terminal. He grabbed up their now-cold coffees and tossed them into the trash on the way by.

The drop-off lane outside of Terminal C was crowded, but the black town car stood out. The lanky blonde man gave them a wave to catch their attention. Castle put their bags into the trunk as Kate slid into the back seat, curling into the heated leather seats.

Even with the roads cleared of some of the snow, the ride was slow as Adam took his time. He didn't need to become one of those cars that was stuck on the side of the road after skidding across the lanes and frankly, Castle was glad to have the ride take much longer than usual than be stuck in such cramped quarters even with the heated seats.

Kate was back to napping. Castle was surprised to see her so run-down and only wondered whether it was the case or being stuck with him for close to seven hours in the airport that had worn her out.

"Adam, just head to the loft. She can spend the night in the guest room."

She heard him and shook her head. "No. Wanna go home."

Castle gave her knee a pat, smiling even though her eyes were closed. "And you will. Tomorrow after you eat breakfast with us and open your real present. No arguments."

"Too tired to argue," she murmured.

Somehow, she found the physical ability to walk over to the elevator after Adam had dropped them off outside of Castle's building. Castle didn't get her up the stairs in the loft to the guest room; Kate headed straight for the couch where she promptly stretched out with her shoes and jacket still on. He laughed, pulling her shoes off before maneuvering her enough to get the jacket off as well, draping the peacoat over the back of one of the dining room chairs.

He found a throw blanket and tucked it in around her already-sleeping body. The soft lights from the tree in the corner lit up the planes of her face as she snuggled into the pillow against the arm of the couch. Unable to stop himself, Castle leaned down and brushed his lips across her cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Kate."

Castle was nearly into the study when he heard her sleepy response. "You too, Castle."

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><p><em>AN: Jetsetgirl, HAPPY HOLIDAYS! This is your present from me to you. You deserve it, chica. I hope your holidays are bright and cheery, filled with many hours flying above us with the clouds._

_And to all of my other readers I extend the same holiday wishes. May your holidays be bright and your worries be few._


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